Surfers Blood

Just wanted to inform everyone that Surfers Blood is utter shit.

Weird Totem

Bedroom Psychedelic Pop. This guy has just started this project and is looking for some exposure. He's got a lot of stuff to offer and is hoping to expand into a full band. If you've got the time, head on over to his myspace page, check out his demos, and let him know what you think.

Myspace

Terraform - Temporal Junk

This is a really awesome tape I was sent from a band named "Terraform". Don't know much about these guys. They remind me of this local band named "TUSK" who play the same brand of "broken jazz rock". All songs feature very extravagant vocals that lend well to the stop and go rhythm section. The sax blares drunkenly and the guitars churn out riffs over a ring leader-esque persona that commands your attention. It's a lot to take in at first, but trust me, give it a second listen! They're selling the tape at Karamazov Recordings, but like every generous indie band, they offer their music for free! So, be sure to check them out!

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The Sonics - The Witch

Amazing! Look forward to their album which I'll be posting later this week!

The Super Vacations - Thicker Milk

Some more mind-bending psychedelic rock for you guys from The Super Vacations! It's some really abrasive stuff, not really what I look for but still a solid release. Haphazard melodies fold out in huge guitar riffs. A lone voice echoes, bouncing through a forest of fog to urge you to step deeper in and lose yourself. Creepy enough? Anyway, this LP is coming out in June through SHDWPLY, make sure to check that out!

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Modest Mouse - Tube Fruit, All Smiles, and Chocolate (rare early cassette release)

So, I stumbled upon this on 4chan of all places. The guy won it on an ebay auction for an unspoken amount of money (I'm guessing around $200) and he decided to upload it for everyone! It's, from what I understand, the FIRST demo tape Modest Mouse recorded. I believe less than 100 copies were made. It's very self-indulgent in sound - similar to Jeff Mangum's early tapes. Most songs are spastic 30 seconds of artistic leakage from the lead singers brain. Speaking of the lead singer; he's all I hear on the tape. Perhaps it was a solo thing? Anyway, I can't say I'm a huge Modest Mouse fan, if at all, but I'm one that can greatly appreciate hearing something so intimate like this.

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Top Surprise - Everything Must Go

Pug Records, a new label located in Brazil, has just released this awesome tape from a band called Top Surprise. They play a brand of shitgaze with an influence in pop-punk. The vocals are great as far as the lo-fi aesthetic goes - sounds like they're coming out of blown out speakers. The fuzzy guitars lazily sway back and forth and meld perfectly with the hollow drums. I'm not sure if the band is from Brazil, but all the vocals seem to be in english. It'd be nice (assuming they're from brazil) if they had some songs in their native tongue as it's always nice to listen to music in another language. The tape ends with a folky Jeff Mangum-esque song. All in all it's a solid tape and I look forward to seeing this band mature

The record label, which I mentioned earlier, just started out. This is their second release and apart from producing awesome handmade lo-fi tape releases they actually offer all the music they have (except for their distro stuff) for FREE. That's right, they actually support blogs and agree that, without this sort of attention, most underground bands might not reach as much people....

Make sure to check out their other release and also take a look at what they're offering at their distro because they have some REALLY great tapes for sale like Beat Happening, Tiger Trap, and a few under-appreciated Elephant 6 bands!

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Pug Records

Waylon Thornton and The Heavy Hands - Pure Evil

More spooky garage rock to sooth the soul. This band is a husband and wife duo from gainesville florida that churns out really great tunes. These are rockin' and rollin' songs that'll get a party started and I can only imagine how great it'd be to see them play live. The guys' voice has a spooky preacher vibe that reminds me of The Amazing Defenders with their brand of gospel inspired garage rock - other than that, you can just expect loud and heavy music in the vein of Woven Bones and Ty Segall.

Check it out!

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Another thing...

Below the awesome new logo Le Noise has provided is a character some of you may be familiar with....he's the King Slime from Dragon Quest. I figure he'd make a nice mascot for the blog.

New logo!

Thanks to Le Noise I have a new logo!

Besides taking the time to make text graphics for me they also post really amazing music in the vein of garage rock/pop and noise rock, so be sure to check them out if you haven't already.

I've got a few more posts planned for next week including a rare Modest Mouse demo tape.

The Band In Heaven - Demo

I've been meaning to post this up since last week! This is a shoegaze band from Orlando called The Band In Heaven. They, of course, give off MBV vibes and everything, but I sense something else buried under everything - I sense a Black Tambourine/Noise Pop influence. Fuzz drooling amps pulse as the dreamy vocals sweep in and completely surround you. I hear a keyboard on top of everything which adds a nice touch. The vocals are really on point. "Tunnel into Your Dreams" has dual male/female vocals which are always an awesome thing with a genre that gives off hazy/dreamy vibes like shoegaze. Their cover of The Cranberries "Dreams" is so incredibly epic and if you're not into shoegaze, at least check that song out. The three song demo ends with "High Low" which is my least favorite of the songs featured in the demo. I can see a lot of growth for the band and I'm sure they've got something planned to release soon, so be sure to check them out!

Post Script; if anyone can guess what angel I decided to use for the picture I'll....I dunno...I'll post anything you request

Myspace
Band Site
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American Football - s/t

Perfect album...... that's all I'd like to say, honestly. However, part of running a blog is voicing my opinion in a more in depth manner so.....

I'd like to start with the album cover. It says so much about the emotion behind the album - which is what a good album cover should evoke, I suppose. It has a very nostalgic feeling. Perhaps it was the singers home when growing up? My interpretation is that of an ex-boyfriend looking up, longingly, at his former girlfriends house. Perhaps he's trying to get her back by playing guitar or something? I dunno, but it's sweet...

As for the music it's really mellow math-rock influenced emo. I'm assuming everyone understands that when I say "emo" I mean actual emo: 90's emo. Not the mindless dribble that get's tagged with emo. The guitar and layering in "Never Meant" is so amazing. Some songs feature a sax or something and it surprisingly fits in really well.

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Los Saicos - Wild Teen Punk From Peru 1965

Wild Teen Punk From Peru 1965.... that title says it all, really. This band is completely mind blowing for two reasons: first, for the time period, music this heavy was unheard of and second, the band claims to have never listened to garage rock from America before. Could Los Saicos be the first proto-punk/garage band? Maybe... One thing I know for certain is that this is one of the BEST garage rock albums ever. Throat heavy vocals over swirling surf-punk guitars... yum. This is a collection of all their singles and an unofficial album. They never released an LP before breaking up to lead normals lives. Listen to the song Demolicion. You'll thank me later...

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The Boo Jays - Happy Halloween 7"

I was sent this awesome 7" from The Boo Jays last week to post on my blog. I was actually already planning on posting it because I've been listening to the mp3's of this 7" for quite some time now and I must say, it's a really amazing release. Yes, more garage rock, but they've got a definite sound that's all their own. Think of a spooky Halloween party at an abandoned house with a surf punk band dressed up as various demons and fiends playing some awesome tunes.. Most of the lyrics are occult themed, or at least the title of the songs are and it definitely radiates a spooky vibe. More so if you buy the glow-in-the-dark 7"...

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The Sunshine Fix - A Spiraling World of Pop

I'm on a cassette roll! This is the first album Bill Doss (most famous for being in the Olivia Tremor Control) recorded under the moniker "The Sunshine Fix". This tape actually predates The Elephant Six Recording Company; it was recorded sometime while Doss was in high school and then later re-released with the E6 stamp of approval. This tape really evokes that sort of "friends banding together to make something awesome" feeling that most listeners of anything from E6 are familiar with. Except for the song "Leonard Upon Entering the Fish Market" - there's nothing too crazy or abrasive like Jeff's early tapes... just awesome fuzzy pop songs.

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